Interstate 295 (Florida)
Interstate 295 (I-295), an auxiliary route of Interstate 95, is a beltway encircling central Jacksonville, Florida. The 60.9 mile (98.0 km)-long beltway consists of two segments, the West Beltway (formerly signed as simply I-295), and the East Beltway (formerly signed as hidden State Road 9A), with I-95 serving as the dividing line between the two. The entire highway carries a hidden designation as State Road 9A by the Florida Department of Transportation. The West Beltway was constructed in the 1970s, with the East Beltway being built from the 1980s-2000s. Route description Beginning at the I-95 interchange in southeastern Duval County as the West Beltway, the beltway travels west, passes through the Mandarin area with interchanges at Old St. Augustine Road, and FL 13 (San Jose Boulevard). It then travels along the three mile Buckman Bridge crossing the St. Johns River immediately south of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and serves as a major connection in the southern part of Jacksonville. At the western end of the river, I-295 continues west, serving as the border between Clay County and Duval County running just north of the town of Orange Park with interchanges at US 17/FL 15 (Roosevelt Boulevard) and FL 21 (Blanding Boulevard), serving Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Clay county. Before turning north through the Westside of Duval county, the freeway also has a full interchange at east-west connector Collins Road to serve the Argyle and Oak Leaf areas in addition to NASJAX. Continuing north, with full interchanges at FL 134 (103rd Street), FL 208 (Wilson Boulevard), and FL 228 (Normandy Boulevard), Interstate 295, the west half of Jacksonville's Beltway reaches its interchange with Interstate 10 approximately six miles west of Downtown, then crosses over US 90 (Beaver Street), a railroad, creek, then continues into Northern Duval. North of the I-10 interchange, the western beltway loops around the northwest side of Jacksonville with full interchanges located at both FL 125 (Commonwealth Avenue) and Pritchard Road, before curving northeast to an interchange at US 1/US 23 (New Kings Road). The road then crosses the Trout River before crossing FL 104 (Dunn Avenue), where this northern portion of the loop turns east, with interchanges at FL 115 (Lem Turner Road), FL 243 (International Airport Boulevard)/Duval Road, and I-95, all just south of the Jacksonville International Airport, where the East Beltway begins. East of the I-95 interchange near the airport, I-295 continues east as the East Beltway, with the next interchange being US 17 (North Main Street). I-295 starts to curve to the southeast, with interchanges at Pulaski Road, and Alta Drive/Yellowbluff Road. Before orienting itself southward at the FL 105 (Zoo Parkway/Heckscher Drive) area, the freeway crosses the Dames Point Bridge over the St. Johns River into the Fort Caroline area. Just south of the bridge, a partial interchange with FL 113 (Southside Connector) in the Regency area is followed by full interchanges with Merrill Road and Monument Road, providing access through Arlington between Jacksonville University and NS Mayport. Continuing south, it has full interchanges with FL 10 (Atlantic Boulevard), St. Johns Bluff Road, US 90/FL 212 (Beach Boulevard) and Town Center Parkway/University of North Florida Drive access to University of North Florida. The next interchange, FL 202 (J. Turner Butler Boulevard) is a freeway to freeway interchange, finished in 2008. After interchanges with Gate Parkway and FL 152 (Baymeadows Road) and a partial interchange with FL 9B (future Interstate 795), I-295 curves to the west, it crosses US 1 (Philips Highway) before completing the loop at I-95 in south Jacksonville. Category:Interstate 295 (Florida) Category:Interstate Highways Category:Highways and roads Category:Auxiliary Interstate Highways Category:Interstate Highways in Florida Category:Interstate 95 Category:Beltways Category:Jacksonville Category:Expressways in Florida Category:Highways numbered 295